Helio doubles as a solar battery pack and light source

Are you one to take on many outdoor adventures? Even if you aren’t, a product like the Helio might come in handy for emergencies or daily use. The concept is simple; this is a solar-powered battery pack that also serves as a light.

The unit sports a 5,200 mAh battery pack. We understand that isn’t exactly an impressive battery size, but it can charge an average phone a little less than twice. Having the ability to recharge using solar energy is also of huge help.

We can’t say how long it takes to charge the battery using the sun’s energy, because that varies based on a number of factors, but it can’t be that fast, especially considering charging a battery pack this size via USB takes about 6 hours. If what you care about is the light, though, you won’t have to worry too much.

The red-colored lantern can give you an entire day of light with just one hour of sunlight. And when fully charged, it can stay alive for up to a month.

Of course, you can run through the energy much quicker if you need the extra power. Use the white lantern or the flashlight at full power (the flashlight can handle 150 lumens) and the thing will die in 15 hours. Still, a solar light that lasts 15 hours is not bad at all.

Pretty neat, right? And it’s not exactly expensive. You can sign up for one by backing the Kickstarter project with as low as $49. Are you getting one?